City council called for a public meeting at 4 p.m. today during which council will attempt to balance its 2018 budget.

The 4 p.m. budget meeting will be followed by a 7 p.m. general discussion town-hall meeting. Both meetings will take place in the courtroom at city hall on Tenney Avenue.

Council President George Levendis said the city would have approximately $3.1 million to operate with this year, according to a Mahoning County estimate. He pointed to bad bookkeeping on the part of the city’s former finance director, Michael Evanson, as part of the reason for the city’s financial woes.

“We were given numbers suggesting we had more money coming in than we did from the former finance director,” Levendis said. Evanson died at age 59 last August.

In addition to the upcoming budget and town-hall meetings, council also discussed whether to purchase body cameras for the police force.

The body cameras would cost the city $100 a month for data storage and for the rental of the actual camera units. The cameras, which are capable of 360-degree recording, can be outfitted onto both officers and police dogs. Girard and Howland police departments in Trumbull County already use the cameras.

The city also plans to demolish an old union meeting hall on the same property as city hall and construct a salt dome in its place.

Gary Bednarik, the city’s street department supervisor, said having the salt storage near the truck’s parking area would help improve response time and cut down on wear and tear on the trucks. Council will have to approve the construction.

Plans for a boccie court and walking trail at Roosevelt Park also were discussed at the meeting. The city estimates the cost for the park upgrades will run $1.5 million, of which the city would pay $70,000 with the rest funded through grants.